A pre-Thanksgiving weather mess

A pre-Thanksgiving weather mess

As many of us prepare for Thanksgiving, Mother Nature is dialing up a nasty mix of weather to welcome in the holiday. Rain, sleet, snow, up & down temperatures, and more wind… All in the forecast before Thanksgiving!

The set up… An area of low pressure in the Gulf of Mexico will track northeast from the Panhandle of Florida to the New England states. At the same time a cold front is plunging in from the northern plains. These two systems will meet up late Tuesday over the Mid-Atlantic, one brings the cold, the other brings the moisture.

What we can expect in Hampton Roads and Northeastern North Carolina… Clouds will start to build in late today and overnight. Rain will move into the area from south to north Tuesday morning. There is a possibility of some sleet mixing in with temperatures near the freezing mark. The sleet should be limited and cause little to no impact. Rain will continue through Tuesday, with the heaviest rain moving in Tuesday night and into early Wednesday. Rain will taper off Wednesday afternoon and evening. As the rain moves out, temperatures will fall and we could see some snow mixing in late Wednesday night or early Thursday (before sunrise). Little to no accumulation is expected at this time. Rainfall totals will range between 1″ and 3″. Winds will also kick up for Wednesday and Thursday, with gusts to near 30 mph possible. Temperatures will jump to near 60 tomorrow but fall back into the 40s on Thanksgiving.

What we can expect on the roads… If you are traveling locally… just rain. Soggy conditions most of the day Tuesday and Wednesday. If you area traveling south… just rain. Rain will blanket much of the southeast. If you are traveling west… rain to sleet/snow. Expect sleet mixing in Tuesday morning and snow mixing in late Wednesday, especially in higher elevations. If you are traveling north… rain to snow. Mainly rain on Tuesday but snow will mix in Wednesday especially if you are traveling inland or near the Great Lakes.

Timeline

Tue AM: Rain moving in, some sleet mixing in.

Tue PM: Rain, Heavy rain late.

Wed AM: Rain, Heavy rain early.

Wed PM: Rain tapering off, some snow mixing in late.

Rain Totals

Overall this is going to be a “gully washer”. This is the model forecast from Monday morning… 1.4″ to 2.6″. Overall, we will see 1″-3″ with locally higher totals possible. The “bulls eye” will likely be along I-95.

***Note: Keep a close eye here on WTKR.com and on air over the next few days as this system changes and develops. Just like any weather system, things will change and we will update the forecast as the system approaches.